Vehicle light control



C. H. WILLS VEHICLE LIGHT CONTROL Nov. 25, 1924.

Filed Nov. 6, 1920 1% IIIIII'IIINI w w. wwwzwzf@ Patented ov. 25, 1924.

y u-Nrrnf STATES PATENT OFFICE.

i omnia morn wxLLs, or" mmrsvimnf'mtronican, AssicNoR or,` cnn-HALF To VmtoinwELI. A. B. HALvoRsEN, nu, oF LYNN,y MASSACHUSETTS.

versions-'Indir oon'rnor..

,Application ma minnie: 6,1920. Lser'iai'im 422,159l

acitizen--of theUnited States,- residingxat Marysville, in the county of St.l Clair and State of Michigan, have inventedcertainnewh and. useful Improvements in Yehicle Light Controls, of which the following 'is a specification.

Thisi'nvention comprises a new andv im-l provedconstructlon and location of headight dimmer; controls for motor vehicles.

,15 throughuse-'of two sets-of lights, through variation in the-'current supplied to a sin- AVgifle set-of lights, or through tiltinga single of a solenoid.

w 'The use of one such system is necessary in order to comply with local laws or regulations, and is valso highly desirable in order to prevent the blinding'lof pedestrians or the driversof'other vehicles'. The dimmer circuit is often used Onlymomentarily as when passing 'another vehicle. Nt 4such times the drivers attention is fullyficgpiedwith the handling of the vehicle' with the'road ahead. It is particularly necessary there- :tore that the dimmer control may be actuated by the driver without distracting his attention.

It is au object of the invention to provide a dimmer control which is readily accessible to the driver of the vehicle. It is a further object to provide a dimmer control which is positive in its operation and which `may be easily actuated Without attention. A further object is to provide means of this character which is simple in construction and which may be readily manufactured and installed at small cost. Other` and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

More specifically my invention comprises the location of the dimmer controlling switch upon the top of the steeringpost of the vehicle.

I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention in the laccompanying' drawings in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary `section illustrating the upper end of the vehicle steering post with my invention applied thereto; Figure 2 is a plan View of the central part upon the of the deviceof Figure 1, portions Aof the switch *being shown in -broken lines-;`

" Flgure 3 isa fragmentaryr section show-y ing a portion of the switch contact means; and, L -l 1 Y F lgure 4 1s a dlagrau'nnatlc view illustrating oneV type of lighting circuit.

The circuit illustrated in Figure'llis of 4the ground return or single wire system and comprises the battery or other source of current 5, grounded tothe vehicle frame at 6 andconnefctedto the dimmer switch?. One side of this switch 8 is connected to the dimmer light 9 by the 'wire 10, the other side of the light 9I being grounded to the frame at 11. The opposite side 12 of the switch 7 vis connected to'the illuminating' head light set of lights either mechanically or bymeans Which-is adapted to simultaneously open` or close bothwires 10 and 14. The switch I7' indicated diagrammatically in Figure 4 and shown in detail in Figure 1. is located upper end of the steering column Y1'? of the vehicle and immediately below the horn button 18. The horn button 18 is a usual type of press button switch and in itselt` forms no part of the present invention. The' steering wheel19 is secured to the column 17 bythe key 20 'and nut 21. The collar 22 has a clamping or driving fit upon the tubular member 23. The throttle lever 24 is provided with the split portion 25 which is clamped to the tube 26 by the bolt 27. The spark le`ver 28is ittedto the tube 29 in a similar manner. The' spark lever has the tubular portion 30 extending upwardly concentrically with the tube 29. The dimmer switch operating collar 31 is iitted aroundthis portion 30. It is retained in place by the horn button cup 32 which is threaded into the upper portion of the tube 30.

The horn but-ton mechanism comprises the contact 33 retained in the cup 32 between, the insulation bushings 34 and 35, and the upper'contact 36 threaded into the button 18. This contact 36 is held upward by the spring 37, the latter bearing upon the closure 38 retained in the member 32 by the set screw 39. The wire 40 leads downwardly through the column from the contact 33. y

The switch wiring extends upwardly of .is secured to the Amember 28 b the screws 50. The contact 12 is connec to the wire -14 and the contact 8y to the wire 16, as indi'- f cated in the 'diagram of Figure 4, and the contact 48 -is connected to the source -of current 5. Y

l In the operation of my device, the main switch 16 will be closed to close both dimmer and lighting circuits. If then the switch blade 46- is in an intermediate \position with its center above the contact 4:8, the blade willengage none of the contacts. If

' the collar 31 is now rotated to bring the switch blade 46 tothe 'position shown in Figure 3, the dimmer circuit will be closed.

'Rotation of the collar 31 in the opposite direction will serve torbrenk that circuit, and as the movement is continued. the blade 46 will engagethe contacts 1'2 and 48 and thus close the illuminating circuit as shown in Figure 2. The-studj44 tluoughits engagement in thearcuate slot 43 limits movement of the collar 31 to these two extreme 35 positions.

hy switch, located as itis upon the steerin column. J.is readil accessible. to the driver atall times. t may be operated ,instantaneously by a sli ht movement of the band and without ta the drivers 'attention from the road or rom the .11andlinvglofthe vehicle. 5'* ile I have described more or less precisely the details of eonstructionof my invention, I do not to be understood .as limiting m self thereto, as I contemplate changes in orm and the proportion of parte' and substitution of equivalents as circum` stances may suggest or render expedient,

without departing from thc spirit of myinvention.y I claim:

In a steering column assembly, a steering column and a steering wheel 'secured thereto, a.V control -tube passing throu h the columnand .extending above the w eel, a

'control vlever secured to the control tube,

switch contacts carried b the control lever a switch collar associated1 with the lever, a cup carrying a button switch secured to the u b'gxeg secured rotatably between the cup and lever, a. switch blade carried by the collar. and a dowel pin carried by the lever and coacting with an arcuate slot in the collar to limit relative rotation between the lever and collar.

Signed at Marysville, Michigan, this 19 day of October, 1920.

. yCHILDE HAROLD WILLS.

r face of the lever, the switch collar' 

